I hope you find some time to get crafty today. We are all over at the Technique Junkies Facebook Page so if you haven’t stopped by, we’d love to see you! We also look forward to your entries in our monthly challenge over at the Design Team Blog.

The Crafty Nurse here with some holiday spirit. I love to get my Christmas cards done early so I don’t have to rush around in December when I need them. I’ve used some new and old Technique Junkies stamps to create this vintage style card.

You still have a few days to pick up a 15% discount on the new releases. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying the Design Team Hop. It’s a treat!

I love this stamp. Matt is a math wizard and it’s perfect to encourage him while he’s busy at college.

The background was actually a happy accident while I was playing with Distress Paint. I had applied color randomly to my craft mat and got a very painterly background. I stamped “Scientific Computation” with silver Hero Arts ink, then clear heat embossed. My sentiment is from “Simple Sentiments #SS03A”

We hope you enjoy the Technique Junkies October Release Hop! Don’t forget – 15% off October Stamps for the next week only! You can also use my discount code: TJKathy10 for an additional discount on your other purchases.

The background for my card is from Sensational Stencils CD called Distress Stain Dip. I changed it up to use Distress Paint instead of stains in the colors Broken China, Mermaid Lagoon and Wild Honey. I added a wave texture using a Tim Holtz Stencil then added additional distress ink around the edges.

For the focal image, I stamped “Mermaid on Rock” onto 140lb. watercolor paper with Archival Ink. I colored my mermaid using Windsor Newton Watercolor markers and added highlights with prismacolor pencils. Adding pencils over watercolor is a great way to add depth to your coloring.

I’d love for you to stop by all the design team’s blogs for samples of the new June Release stamps you can find in the Technique Junkies Store. Don’t forget to use discount code: TJ10Kathy for savings.

Pat is offering 15% off all August Release Stamps for one week! WooHoo! So stop by all the design team’s blogs for great ideas and samples of other new August Release stamps you can find in the Technique Junkies Store.

My next card uses two techniques. The background is “Marbling Rainbow from April/May 2004” and the focal image featuring the gorgeous “Horse #SD706” stamp uses “Polished Mulberry from June 2003 Newsletter”. The marbling was done with reinkers and alcohol. My sentiment is another new August release called, “Move Your Soul SDX082”.

I began my page with Tim Holtz tissue paper then applied distress paint in Vintage Photo, Broken China, and Walnut Stain. I then added a watery layer of gesso and wiped that around with a baby wipe. I then took “Houndstooth Check S665” and stamped over the page in Versamark mark ink. So that you don’t get hard edges, just curl your stamp and roll instead of stamping the entire thing. I then added gold perfect pearls for some shimmer. Over that, I stenciled gold ferro paste over a Tim Holtz’s “traveler” stencil.

The numbers, Paris Tower, and tag are all My Favorite Things dies cut from travel themed paper. On the tag, I stamped the couple from “Vintage Travel Cases PS012″ in Sepia archival ink and the sentiment in black archival ink. I like the way the fade off on the bottom.

The suitcases are also from “Vintage Travel Cases PS012.” I began by stamping different suitcases with a variety of inks. I stenciled over them with Art Anthology “Cracked” stencil and then layered that with rock candy distress stickles and let them dry. I then adhered all the elements with matte gel medium and created shading with a Faber Castell Pit pen in brown. To finish I colored up some wooden planes also with the pitt pen and called it a Technique Junkies Vintage Travel Page.

Well, that’s my page for today, I hope you’ve enjoyed a a little inspiration. I’ll see you in a couple weeks for more fun with the February release at Technique Junkies.

As usual, Pat has come up with some great new stamps for you and I know you are going to love them. In addition to the stamps, the store is carrying stencils, art anthology colorations, and a variety of new dimensional mediums perfect for those who like to play with ink. As a special treat, Pat is offering 15% off all October Release Stamps for one week! WooHoo!

I’d love for you to stop by all the design team’s blogs for great ideas and samples of other new October Release stamps you can find in the Technique Junkies Store.

My first card uses the technique called, Sprayed Joseph’s Coat recently published in the TJ Inkspirations Newsletter for September 2015. It’s a super technique that produces vibrant contrast when a background stamp such as this new October Release called, “Pom Pom Swag” is used. For my focal image I used, “Incrediball Canning Jar #PS015.”

My second card uses the same “Sprayed Joseph’s Technique” only this time instead of black spray I used Distress Spray in “Tarnished Brass.” I then cut out my image using a My Favorite Things frame die and stamped the card base with “Pom Pom Swag” in Hero Arts Soft Purple ink. My sentiment is from the “Simple Sentiments Set 2, Style b.” This is a great all around sentiment set.

My final card uses the “Bandana Tutorial” from the Simple & Easy Inking CD. I used Distress Inks in Picked Raspberry, Spiced Marmalade, and Wild Honey to create my background. I then lifted up ink through a circle stencil and stamped the sweet “Afternoon Tea #SD644” with Hero Arts black ink. I added the white gel pen highlights with the best white pen in the world by Signo Uniball. I finished off the card with the new sentiment that goes perfectly with this stamp called, “Where there’s tea.”

Now, that I’ve shown you what I have to offer, I don’t want you to miss any of the other design teams creativity so I encourage you to start hopping at the Technique Junkies Design Team Blog.

If you are arriving from Robin Redd’s Blog, you in the right place! Gorgeous project Robin!

It’s Monday and time for another Cards In Envy Challenge. This challenge is super fun and the theme is “Inspired By A Song.” I went a little silly on this despite my card not being whimsical. As we are heading into fall, I wanted to highlight an image featuring fall colors, thus, found “The Acorn Song.” If that doesn’t sound familiar, you will at once know the chorus that goes, “I’m a nut, I’m a nut, I’m a nut.” Okay – I’m laughing hysterically now thinking about that fun song and the clicking noise you make at the end of it. I hope others know what I’m talking about so I’m not laughing alone!

Before we get to the card, just a reminder that the Cards in Envy rules are simple and require only that your card fit into a A2 standard envelope.

My card today features a Tim Holtz’s Autumn Blueprint stamp. I began with a manilla tag and inked it with distress inks and stenciled over that to create a little mixed media feel. I colored the ribbon with distress stains and stamped another Tim Holtz stamp for the sentiment. The background is canvas paper from DCWV.

Well, that’s it for me today. I’m off to make more cards singing, I’m a nut, I’m a nut, I’m a nut…..

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The Crafty Nurse

Hi! I'm Kathy, a Southern Californian native who has lived in the west coast, midwest, northeast and now the southeast. I'm a Registered Nurse who lives for the creation of Art. I am currently on the Design Teams of Cards in Envy, From The Heart Stamps, and Technique Junkies with previous design credits for A Blog Named Hero, A Day For Daisies, Creative Vision, From the Heart Stamps, Open-Minded Crafting, Repeat Impressions Stamps, Sketch Saturday, Send a Smile 4 Kids and Try Stampin' On Tuesday. I've also guest designed for Crafting By Design, Kenny K, The Alley Way, and Simon Says Stamp. I am married 25+ years to a wonderful man and have two very special grown sons, Dan and Matt.